RN Salary
Did you know that registered nurses hold 2.6 million jobs making them the largest profession in health care? Job opportunities abound in this area and some employers do report that they are unable to find and keep an appropriate number of registered nurses. For this reason, this is one career you may wish to consider if you are thinking about going into health care. The RN salary is very good and your job duties will keep you on your toes at all times as no two patients are alike.
Your job responsibilities as an RN will include public and patient treatment and education along with family support. Patient medical histories will need to be taken and any symptoms recorded. You may be asked to perform tests and analyze the results or help with follow-up care. One thing you will be asked to do is establish a patient care plan or contribute to one that is already in place. As you can see, the duties are much greater than with vocational or licensed practical nurses and the RN salary reflects this.
RN Salary
The median annual wage of an RN as of May 2008 was $62,450. Those who worked in employment services brought in the highest RN salary making $68,160. Those who worked in nursing care facilities made the least which was $57,060. No matter where you choose to work, you will make a decent wage and help others on a daily basis. It’s no wonder this is the largest profession in the health care field.
RN Training and Education
When you choose to pursue a career as an RN and earn an RN salary, you will have three choices in terms of your education. One may choose an associate degree in nursing (ADN), a diploma or a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN). An ADN takes approximately two to three years to complete and is offered by junior or community colleges. Hospitals offer diploma programs which take approximately three years to complete and colleges or universities offer the BSN program which will be done in four years. Any type of education qualifies you for an entry-level position.
RN License and RN Certification
If you choose to work anywhere in the United States or its territories, you will need to pass a national licensing exam. This exam is known as the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN). Once you have successfully passed this exam, you may need to fulfill other requirements of the state or territory in which you reside. Once all have been fulfilled, you may obtain your RN license.
Job Growth Outlook For Registered Nurses
Registered nurses are expect to experience some of the fastest growth out of all jobs in the United States. Overall registered nurses will experience a growth of around 22% according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. However this doesn’t tell the entire story. Different areas within nursing will experience faster growth than others. Let’s take a look at some of the fastest growing areas between the years 2008 and 2018.
- physicians offices 48%
- home health care services 33%
- nursing facilities 25%
The largest employer of nurses, hospitals, while in fact see less growth than in many other areas. More and more we are seeing nurses being given the responsibility to perform a variety of procedures and then use various medical machinery that previously would’ve been only used by physicians.
The increasing age of the baby boomer generation will mean more more job openings for registered nurses in places like elderly homes, nursing facilities, home health care services and physicians offices. If you’re looking to become a registered nurse these are some of the areas it would be wise to focus on.
Be sure to do some further research online as there are many options for certification and training that can help you land a high-paying registered nurse position. Good luck!
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